Sudan Qualifies for TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations 2025

Sudan has qualified for the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025. The 35th edition of AFCON will take place in Morocco from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026.

‘I am very happy to lead Sudan to the AFCON 2025. It has been a lot of hard work despite several challenges because of the political environment in Sudan,’ said coach James Kwesi Appiah.

QUALIFIED. ✅

Sudan will be going to #AFCON2025! 🇸🇩 pic.twitter.com/eALo9NFzBI

— CAF_Online (@CAF_Online) November 18, 2024

Sudan joins Uganda as the two teams from the CECAFA Zone. In Group D, Benin achieved the draw they needed away against Libya to return to the finals for the first time since 2019.

The Falcons of Jediane qualified for the tournament after playing out to a barren draw against table leaders Angola in a Group F match played at the Benina Martyrs Stadium, Benghazi in Libya on 18 November 2024.

The draw meant that Sudan finished second with 8 points, while Angola topped with 14 points. Niger who shocked hosts Ghana 2-1 finished third with 7 points, and the Black Stars of Ghana bottom with only 3 points.

The win over Ghana put Sudan in second place of their AFCON qualification group.  They need only two points in their final two games to secure a place in the tournament for only the fourth time in 49 years. The Falcons are also top of their World Cup qualification group with 10 points from the first four games, two points ahead of continental powerhouse Senegal. 

The last three spots at the 2025 Nations Cup in Morocco will be filled today, Tuesday, 19 November 2024.

Botswana or Mauritania are battling over second spot in Group C, while Tanzania must beat Guinea at home to progress ahead of the West Africans in Group H.

In Group I, Guinea-Bissau have to beat Mozambique with a result that gives them the advantage in the head-to-head against the Mambas.

The teams that have so far qualified for the TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 include: Morocco (hosts), Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Comoros, DR Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Mali, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Only 3️⃣ spots left. 👀#AFCONQ2025 pic.twitter.com/mbVgKVH942

— CAF_Online (@CAF_Online) November 18, 2024

Many took to social media to celebrate the Falcons of Jediane’s achievement.

Sudan’s national football team qualified to the African Cup of Nations. A small ray of light esp after todays events in NY pic.twitter.com/krHQvXZpVi

— dalliasd (@dalliasd) November 18, 2024

Salute Kwesi Appiah. 🫡

Qualified Sudan 🇸🇩 to the AFCON 2025 despite having no domestic league because of the civil war. Sudan’s two biggest teams Al Hilal and El Merreikh play in the Mauritanian League.

All this at the expense of his nation Ghana who won’t be in Morocco. Fate. pic.twitter.com/aKbbZeTwla

— Usher Komugisha (@UsherKomugisha) November 18, 2024

Song and dance for Sudan with
Coach Kwesi, who just happens to be from Ghana who will be watching #AFCON2025 from the comfort of their homes next year. pic.twitter.com/NlIYuPccOC

— AFCON 2025 (@DiskiAfrika) November 19, 2024

Against all odds and immense challenges, the #Sudanese national team has officially qualified for the 2025 African Cup of Nations 🇸🇩. Glory to the country and its people. Here’s to our strength and resilience! ♥️💪🏻#keepEyeOnSudan pic.twitter.com/xWWZjBHHK4

— Amna Hussein (@theamna1) November 19, 2024

Unprecedented results

Although there is ongoing war devastating Sudan, but the national football team is enjoying unprecedented results. Now with their qualification for TotalEnergies AFCON 2025, qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is a possibility. There is still a long way to go to get to the World Cup finals in North America in 2026, but fans now have hope. Sudan may never have reached the World Cup before, but football is the most popular sport in the country, and enjoys the unbound enthusiasm and support. Even in remote villages in the desert, children gather together for a game.

Sudan first formed its football federation in 1936, joined FIFA 12 years later in 1948 and Confederation of African Football (CAF) in 1957. The country had a very good period of success from the late 1950s to the early 1970s, hosting the first-ever AFCON in 1957 and winning third place in the tournament, in which only four countries participated. Sudan took the runner-up position in 1959 and 1967, and claimed its only tournament championship in 1970. Despite this early period of success, Sudan’s national side hasn’t won much since. It has never qualified to the World Cup, and also struggled to qualify to AFCON over the years. The national team recent qualification show signs of a resurrection.